Sister lashes out at Centrelink's cruel treatment of sick brother

When Sarah Laughlin wrote a frustrated Facebook post about her seriously ill brother's shabby treatment by Centrelink, she expected some sympathetic responses to their plight.

What she didn't expect was for so many other Australians to share similar, heartbreaking experiences.

If there was any doubt that the welfare system in Australia is broken, this is certainly it.

"A message sent specifically to Centrelink," she wrote on June 29. "Take a good look and ask yourself. Do you think this man can call you every two weeks to maintain his Newstart allowance?

"Do you think this man is in a position to apply for work?

"Do you think anyone would employ this extremely hard worker with his present health issues?

"I would suggest the answer to each of these questions would be NO. So then ask yourself why would you stop his New Start payment because he hasn't called. Especially when one of your brains trust decided, knowing what condition Robert is suffering, decided New Start was the best option for him.

"So after 35 years of paying taxes this is as good as you can do in his time of need. He has put paperwork forward from hospital and doctors to say that he is unable to work, however the disability pension is only available to those that can no longer work, not those who are temporarily unable to work.

"This is an injustice to those many who are in the same position, whilst we continue to pay a disability pension to many who do not need or deserve.

"Robert is a single parent to two teenage boys whose mother passed away 18 months ago to cancer. To say I am angry and upset is an understatement."

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Sarah told 9Honey Robert has Stage 3 bowel cancer and at the time the photo was taken, had developed a complication resulting from chemotherapy.

The post has been liked 5,000 times, shared 6,805 times and received hundreds of comments.

"A similar situation in Airlie Beach, a lady has had both legs amputated above the knee joint," wrote Stephen. "Unable to get disability pension, Centrelink says she can use the wheelchair at work in an office. So onto New Start."

"We had the same problem a few years ago," said Kylie. "They wanted my father to apply for jobs so he could still receive his benefit. And not entitled to disability. He was in ICU, with a few weeks to live...this didn't seem to matter. I really feel for you and your family."

"I had a bad car accident coming home from work," wrote Billie-Dee. "I was a cleaner. I have hurt my back, broke seven bones in one hit. I live off Panadeine Forte. It's been three years [and I’m] unable to do very little. My back is not the same. They told me I couldn't get disability because I can still move. It's been hell. Then I had to go to a job search place the other day and they told me I had to look for 12 jobs if I don't I won’t get paid."

"I feel your pain," wrote Chris. "I have emphysema and do not meet the requirements for the pension. Centrelink is a joke and it’s getting worse."

"I have a family member [who] is very unwell, I don't [want] to go into details but it's not good," said Shantel. "She too was knocked back through Centrelink. It's appalling to see the amount of genuine cases that are so easily knocked back."

And the stories go on and on.

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Sarah is 55 and lives in Sydney with her family, while her sick brother, Robert, is 54 and based in Victoria.

Robert's girlfriend Emma had been given authority by Robert to liaise with Centrelink regarding his payments.

"They advised they had stopped his payments two weeks ago because Robert hadn't been in touch," she said. "Robert had been in a hospital bed. He'd been unable to talk. He was and still is a very sick man."

Robert was on the Newstart Allowance job seeker payment, requiring recipients to make contact every two weeks and actively seek work. He was forced to go on Newstart after being rejected for the Disability Support Pension because he isn't permanently disabled.

Robert was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease at the age of 21.

"So he had treatment for that which included radiotherapy around his neck," she said. "He was then re-diagnosed at 23 and again at 25."

Then in December 2017 Robert was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

"They found a large tumour in his bowel so they did a partial bowel resection and he has a colostomy bag," she said.

Robert was a successful builder before falling ill.

"He stopped working in November last year," his sister explained.

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Robert has two boys aged 14 and 17. They lost their mother in 2016 after she died from breast cancer.

"From the family's perspective our concern is very much around how the boys are coping," she said. "They seem to be doing alright and have a lot of family support around them."

Sarah has been distressed to read through all of the similar experiences people have had with Centrelink and the financial support being offered to their loved ones.

"One woman's husband is dying of heart disease and he's on Newstart, for God's sake," she said.

Robert receives $150 each fortnight as a single parent and $300 each week on Newstart. Sarah said that's all he has to pay his mortgage, food, electricity and water.

"It's virtually impossible," Sarah said.

While Robert is in hospital, family have been stepping in to share care of the boys.

"He has a lot of really, really supportive friends around him," she said.

Robert is expected to recover from his latest cancer battle, although at the moment is "very weak."

He is being fed via a gastric tube because he's lost his ability to swallow due to his previous treatment for Hodgkin's Disease.

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Following her Facebook post, Sarah was advised to contact Robert's local member for assistance with Centrelink, with many claiming this made all the difference when it came to reaching a resolution for their loved ones.

She contacted Jenny Macklin MP, Member for Jagajaga for help. She told 9Honey via a representative, "The Government needs to show some much needed compassion and understanding when people are ill.

"Our social security system is there to help people at times like this, not punish them."

9Honey contacted the Department of Social Services regarding Robert's situation and were told by a spokesperson for the department that they cannot comment on individual circumstances.

"However, a Newstart recipient who is ill can apply for the Disability Support Pension or they can apply to Centrelink for an exemption from their Newstart mutual obligation requirements," they said.

"A person with a terminal illness (life expectancy less than two years with significant reduced work capacity) may qualify for a manifest grant of Disability Support Pension subject to meeting all other eligibility criteria. A Newstart recipient awaiting the outcome of a Disability Support Pension application is not subject to the activity test and does not have mutual obligation requirements."

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Department of Human Services General Manager Hank Jongen told 9Honey they are happy to contact Robert and his family in order to provide further assistance.

"We recognise medical conditions can have a significant impact on people's lives," he said. "However we do not have any discretion to grant payments outside the very clear criteria set down in legislation."

He said recipients of the Newstart Allowance may be able to claim temporary exemptions from mutual obligations because of medical conditions.

"We encourage recipients to contact us or their employment services provider to discuss any changes to their circumstances," he said. "If a person is too unwell to talk to the Department, they can nominate a family member, partner, or friend to act on their behalf."

He added that the Department also provides social work support to people who require additional assistance due to their circumstances.

It's simply not good enough.

While a Centrelink representative offered to reach out to Robert and his family after being contacted by 9Honey, it took media intervention for this to happen. Since making our initial inquiries, Jenny Macklin's office has received an email stating that Robert will receive the full amount of Newstart back pay he is entitled to since payments ceased.

However Robert is now required to supply another medical exemption report to Centrelink by July 9 to confirm his inability to contact them every two weeks.

This task has now fallen to Sarah, as her brother is still too ill to take care of his own affairs.

"We need to get someone to act on his behalf whilst he is unwell," she told 9Honey. "This we will endeavour to do. I am not looking forward to navigating my way around the Centrelink website."

While some resolution has been reached for Robert and his family, this does nothing for the countless others who shared their stories on Sarah's Facebook post, families who are busy dealing with sick loved ones who are being forced onto Newstart, not qualifying for the Disability Support Pension for a myriad of reasons, least of which is the fact their conditions are not permanent.

If our taxpayer dollars aren't going to those most in need, then something is seriously wrong.

It's time for Centrelink to work for the people, not the other way around.

Share your story by sending an email to Jo Abi at jabi@nine.com.au or via Twitter @joabi or Instagram @joabi961